Page 26 of Bit's Bliss
“Thanks, Al, I appreciate this.” I ended the call and set my phone down. “Nancy’s last name is Burke.”
Eberly’s mouth gaped. “Get the fuck out. Seriously?”
I raised a brow and smiled at her reaction. I couldn’t recall having heard her curse. “The plot thickens.”
“Should I call her now?” she asked.
“Why wait? Except maybe don’t let on that your dad’s been gone since yesterday.”
“Good thinking,” she agreed.
“Put the call on speaker.”
When she did, we both heard the phone ring; after two, it switched over to voicemail.
“Hey, Nancy. This is Eberly Warwick calling. I had a quick question for you if you’d please get back to me at your earliest convenience, I’d appreciate it.” She left her number. Less than five minutes later, Nancy returned the call.
“Hey, thanks for responding so quickly,” I began.
“Sure. What’s your question?”
“I’m visiting a friend and haven’t been able to reach my dad. He doesn’t happen to be with you, does he?”
“No. Sorry. I haven’t seen him since he dropped me off Saturday night,” she responded.
“Right. My apologies for bothering you.”
I held my phone to my ear and mimicked dialing.
“One last thing. Do you remember the last time you spoke to him?”
“As I said, Saturday night.”
“Oh, right. Well, thanks again.”
“Good job,” I said when she ended the call.
“Sadly, I’ve gotten used to dealing with fake people.”
I cocked my head.
“Let’s just say that if Isabel Van Orr smells blood in the water, she’ll attack like a shark.” Eberly lowered her hand that held the phone and looked at me with wide eyes. “If she’s telling the truth, where did my dad go after the ball? You were there when he came home the following morning.”
“Good question. Is there anyone else you can think of who might’ve seen or talked to your father?”
Eberly shook her head.
“There are some people who might be able to help us. One is a guy who specializes in, uh, locating people.I sent him a text earlier, and he responded asking how he can help.”
Her eyes scrunched. “Why did you hesitate when you said he specializes in finding people?”
I chuckled. “That barely scratches the surface of what this guy does.”
“Can you tell me his name?”
“Decker Ashford. Have you heard of him?”
“Yes, but I can’t remember where or when. Does he know the Butlers?”
